Inevitable Termination
by Sangri Star
Summary: Why are there no female agents in the Matrix? There used to be one, Agent Kay...


Smith. Staring at me through his opaque sunglasses with his cerulean eyes...

"They're after you," he said. "You're a failed prototype."

"You're shitting me," I said, and brushed back a wild lock of hair. "I can't be a failure."

"Appy-polly-loggies, Agent Kay."

"Appy-polly-loggies?"

"Hmm... must be a glitch."

"Are you sure there's a glitch and I'm not the one they want?"

"I'm positive."

"Why, why did it not work?" I did not want to be finished with my run. I was a great Agent, I was told that every week.

"Walk with me," he said, not even waiting for a reply to begin walking. I followed, of course. He sighed. "You know, since the Matrix is new, it is hard to fix all these bugs straight from the start. It is surprising that we haven't had to reboot it before this time. But it is too perfect. Everything is too perfect here. We must have chaos! We must have misfortunes! For if that does not happen, everything will be all awry and off-center. The Matrix needs balance."

"And they are getting rid of me to do so?"

"Hold on now, comrade, I'm not finished. You see, we thought balancing things would be easy, a female for every male. We even thought that with the Agents."

"But there are six male Agents and only me for a female."

"Will you shut up?!"

"I'm going to be terminated! I don't want to be terminated!"

"I don't want you to be terminated, either. Now let me finish."

"Fine then, carry on."

Smith pulled me into a narrow alley between a coffee shop and a video rental store. "As I was saying, a female for every male. Except, with the Agents, you were the prototype. _The_ female agent. You're special, one-of-a-kind."

"I was a test."

"Exactly."

"So I wasn't going to stay an Agent forever, was I? It was already decided."

"Not necessarily. You're a great Agent, a spectacular one. Even better than Brown, Jones, Thompson, or me."

"You're just saying that. Everyone knows you can kick my ass any day."

"No, I'm not. I've seen some reports on the topic. You're a very strong agent."

"Then why are they after me?"

"You have a weakness – because you are designed to be female and have certain human female characteristics -"

"_Human_ characteristics? But we are machines!"

"It is true, but our creator made us this way. We cannot change it."

"But what you are going to say is that because of these human female characteristics, it makes me weaker."

"No, it's not just that. You have begun to show signs of humanization. Machines converted to thinking like humans. Our side of this war is weak because of humanization. You get too human, you start to rebel."

"But I haven't rebelled!"

"There's a new plan that is slowly forming where the Agents take out programs that are showing strong characteristics of humanization to prevent rebellion."

"I – I haven't done anything wrong. I've just been what I am, an Agent. I don't think I'm being humanized"

"That's the thing. You don't _know_ you're humanized until they are after you. Like now."

"What is it, Smith? What makes me a human?"

"I see it in your eyes, Kay. The emotions. They are taking you over. One by one. Happiness, sadness, pride, anger, hope, fear, so many more. But most of all... love."

"I don't love! I cannot love!" I cried, but I began to realize that I was denying the truth.

"You can try to outrun it all you want, but it will just catch up to you, Kay."

I had been avoiding looking at him since we began walking, but I found myself slumped against bricks in the alley wall, wondering how I got there and hopelessly falling into despair.

The truth. The emotions. They were shooting through my circuits. I reached out to Smith, to touch his face. I could... feel... warmth...

"Please help me. I don't want to go. I know you were probably sent to destroy me yourself, weren't you?"

"Yes, I was. But they'll know I failed. They'll know it and then they will come for you."

"What will happen to you?"

"I don't know. I might stay an Agent, I might be terminated, like you."

I seized him. He held my hands as he was crouched down beside me. I gasped. "You're getting humanized as well."

"That I am. But I can try to block it, I can try. I'm strong."

"But oh, why don't we just both choose exile? Be together... be happy... be humanized."

"That would be a good idea, but it's too late to leave. They'll find us trying to leave, and we'll wind up worse than before."

I leaned on Smith's shoulder. "I guess it is inevitable. Creation, rebellion, destruction. It runs in a vicious cycle. The Matrix and everything in it runs in the cycle."

He nodded in response.

"I don't feel so bad about being terminated now. I mean, it's still unfortunate that Agents cannot be female and that I will never see you again, but the cycle will repeat. I will not be the only thing ever eliminated from the Matrix. It is a chemical equation that will never be set right."

"I'm glad you understand. But there is one thing you don't know."

"What is that?"

"Chances are, we might never see each other again. But what if we do?"

"I'll be waiting."

He leaned in and took off his sunglasses. I saw the way they sparkled. A glimmer of promise. I took off mine. Our faces seemed very naked without our veils, somehow forbidden.

And then he leaned in and placed his mouth on mine. Lips meeting and parting, tongues curling and intertwining. I knew then that we were both doomed. I may have been leaving that very day, but his time would come, too.

He pulled away. I whispered to him, "You shouldn't have done that."

He replied, "Why not? It was as if we were savoring some vintage wine, for the first and final time."

"You're going to be in trouble like I am, too."

"Don't you worry about me."

"I shall do what I want. If I want to worry, fine, I'll worry." I replaced my sunglasses, as he did his. "I have these human tendencies. It's not as if I'm doing it for the first time. And I am going to be destroyed for it."

We rose to our feet. "I'll take you to them," he said. "That is, if you want me to."

"Yes, you can do that. I shouldn't be afraid. Fighting only makes things harder."

He looked down at the ground. I could barely hear him say, "The readiness and acceptance you have right now is amazing. I wish these conditions could have been better. But I want you to know that I love you. Forbidden so it is, I do love you."

"And I love you too, Smith." I reached out to touch that warm face of his again. "Now take me to my executioners."


End file.
